Rome, Florence and Venice:

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1 Tuscany Tours Magical Immersion Journeys Rome, Florence and Venice: 9 days/ 8 nights Anytime Departures Trevi Fountain in Rome Michelangelo s Pieta Day 1, Rome Today, when you arrive at the Rome airport, you will be met by your driver who will assist you with your luggage and bring your directly to your hotel. He will have your flight information so that he can stay on top of the situation in case your flight is delayed. After checking in and relaxing a bit, you ll come down to the lobby to meet the marvelous guide who will be your resident expert during your stay in Rome. As you meander with her through nearby neighborhoods this evening, she will give you an orientation to Rome. You ll hear about the history, the culture and the monuments. Your guide will also share some stories about the modern residents of this ancient city as well. Tonight s walk will include the Pantheon, Piazza Navonna and the Trevi Fountain. Your guide will drop you off at a family run trattoria for your first taste of authentic Roman cuisine. Each of the restaurants included on the tour has been carefully chosen. The main considerations are great food, popularity with the locals, and ambiance. You ll experience everything from simple elegance to complex innovation with the freshest of ingredients, along with fine regional wines at each of your destinations.

2 Day 2, Rome Today goes without saying: St. Peters and the Vatican Museums, including the Sistine Chapel. Our guide will be able to take you inside without undue waiting on line. The Vatican Museums are filled with treasures and you could spend weeks here, but your guide will lead you to the most important highlights. Lunch will be in your own, and the rest of the afternoon will be left open for you to explore Rome at your leisure. Dinner tonight will be in one of our favorite Rome restaurants where seafood dishes are a specialty. The Coliseum Day 3, Rome Today you ll experience Ancient Rome. Your guide will meet you again at your hotel. Together you ll visit the Forum and the Coliseum where your guide will weave the stories of the past for you in the presence of these ancient places. You ll see many of the fascinating monuments that still bear witness to the Roman Empire s thousand-year history. In keeping with today s ancient theme, you will have a light lunch in a Pizza Parlor built right over the ancient Baths of Caracalla (which you can visit right down the steps!). Your private coach will pick you up at the hotel at 3pm to transfer you and your luggage to the next stop on your itinerary: Florence!

3 Florence Day 1, Florence You will transfer in an air-conditioned 16-seat bus to your hotel located in the heart of Florence s historic district. Francis Mayes recommends this hotel in her book, Bringing Tuscany Home and Barbara Bush has stayed here. Tuscany Tours has used this charming Renaissance Palazzo as a haven in the bustle of the city for more than ten years. After you settle into your room, it s off to drinks at the hotel s delightful bar, then dinner on the garden terrace overlooking the red-tiled roofs of the city. Day 2, Florence Whether it s your first or tenth visit to Florence, get ready to delve deeper into the magic of Florence. This morning you ll meet your local guide who will take you on a historical walk of the city center. Your guide will give you just enough history to delight your imagination, but not so much as to overwhelm you. You ll pass the Duomo, stopping to visit the Museum of the Cathedral. There you will see Donatello s amazing statue of Mary Magdalene as well as Michelangelo s Pieta that he intended for his own tomb. You ll also visit the beautiful church of Santa Croce where you ll view the memorial monuments to Dante, Michelangelo, Machiavelli and other famous Florentines. You ll have an opportunity to look at lovely works by Giotto, Lucca della Robbia and Donatello. Then you ll step into the cloister and visit the Leather School of Santa Croce where you can shop for leather goods (jackets, purses) and watch the embossers stamp the gold-leaf Florentine lilies on the soft leather. You ll have lunch in a wine bar where you ll taste the estate wine of your host s family. They ve been making wine at the estate since the twelfth century, so they ve had a chance to get quite good at it! For those who are still able to walk after lunch, we ll introduce you to an artisan who makes marbled paper where you can observe the entire procedure directly. And we ll also give you suggestions for where to buy leather, gold, and the truly exquisite housewares of Florence. (You really can stuff that silk pillow in your suitcase!) Dinner tonight is on your own.

4 Day 3, Florence This will be devoted to our favorite museum in Italy, the Uffizi. Your guide, Laura, was a curator at the Louve in Paris before moving back to her native Florence, and she is a wonderful guide to the collection here. Lunch is on your own and the afternoon is free for shopping, resting or walking. At 5pm we have made reservations at Accademia for those of you who haven t yet seen Michelangelo s David (and for those of you who want to go back to see it again!). You ll have dinner together this evening in a little trattoria just around the corner from our hotel. This place is busy even in February, and they don t accept reservations. (Except for a handful of preferred guests.) You may feel a bit guilty walking past those who are waiting on line, but this is as much a part of Italian life as wine and pasta Buon appetito! Day 4, Florence This morning you ll need to check out of your hotel by 11 am. However, you can leave your luggage with the front desk until we are ready to go. This morning you are free for exploring and for last minute Florence shopping. At 2 pm we ll be leaving the hotel and the porters will be loading your luggage into the taxis waiting to take you to the train station. Buon Viaggio!

5 Venice Day 1, Venice Today you will transfer by train to the dream city by the sea: Venice. Your hotel is strategically positioned in the heart of the city and is situated on two floors of an old Venetian palazzo. It s a peaceful environment, rich with history, where the helpfulness and courtesy of the two families who own and run it will contribute to making your stay in Venice unique and unforgettable. Tonight you will meet your Venice guide who will take you on a gondola ride and introduce you to the famous Venetian custom of cicchetti and Prosecco (snacks and a sparkling wine!). Then, dinner together in one of Venice s best restaurants! Day 2, Venice You start the day off with A Secret Tour of the Doge s Palace. Then it s off to St. Mark s square, the former political center of the Venetian Republic, and to St. Mark s Basilica, a must see for anyone visiting Venice. Next, you ll take a walk backstage with your guide to explore the by-ways of this unique city: bridges, narrow alleyways, waterways, large and small squares. You ll see some amazing churches and ancient palaces, and you ll end your tour in the busy central area of the Rialto. Afterwards, you ll have lunch together at a local favorite, and then the afternoon is free for resting, shopping and getting lost in the charming Venetian streets.

6 Day 3, Venice Today you will take a water taxi to the Island of Murano, one of the most famous islands of the Venetian Lagoon. There you ll visit a glass blowing factory and, afterwards, have some time for browsing the glass shops. When you re ready, you will come back to Venice by water taxi. Tonight you ll say good bye to Venice as you travel by boat out to the famous Villa Corbari to have dinner on the terrace and watch the world sail by Day 4, Buon Viaggio After breakfast you will transfer directly from your hotel to the Venice airport by taxi. Arrivederci!